Month: March 2017

During small group with first-graders? You just never know what will come up in randomly …

First-grade boy (very serious): “Ya know Ms. Kinney? Girls can have hair on their top lip. Like a mustache. It’s true. Even my dad said so. I haven’t seen one yet but I know what will happen if I see one.”

Me (giggling): “What’s that?”

Boy: “I’d laugh and yell at her to shave. It’s not attractive! […]

During small group with first-graders? You just never know what will come up in randomly …

First-grade boy (very serious): “Ya know Ms. Kinney? Girls can have hair on their top lip. Like a mustache. It’s true. Even my dad said so. I haven’t seen one yet but I know what will happen if I see one.”

Me (giggling): “What’s that?”

Boy: “I’d laugh and yell at her to shave. It’s not attractive! AT ALL! You don’t have that though. That’s good.”

Right out of the gate, I have to say I loved this movie. Jody and I went to see it earlier this week, but because of the controversy surrounding it (more about that later), we were tentative about even accepting the invitation to review it. So glad we decided to take the risk! First, it was […]

Right out of the gate, I have to say I loved this movie. Jody and I went to see it earlier this week, but because of the controversy surrounding it (more about that later), we were tentative about even accepting the invitation to review it. So glad we decided to take the risk!

First, it was stunning to watch. The sets, the costumes, the visual effects were all exquisite. And I just have to say, Belle’s dress in the last scene took my breath away!

In many ways, this live action film sticks closely to its animated predecessor, unlike say Maleficent, which offered a entirely new twist on the Sleeping Beauty story. It does however add some back story for both Belle and the Beast and a few new songs to the soundtrack, and I thought the additions enhanced the story.

But it was the characters that really stole my heart in this movie. Dan Stevens, the guy who won me over and then tore my heart out as Matthew in Downton Abbey, did an outstanding job as the Beast. Jody was crushing on him pretty hard (as the Beast, but not the prince) because she said he reminded her of Tony.

See the resemblance?

And I really appreciated the updated version of Belle’s dad. In this version of the story, he’s a heartsore but devoted father, and in place of the clumsy inventor of the cartoon version, this Maurice, played by Kevin Kline, is a more pensive artisan.

But I think my favorite characters of all were the household items in the enchanted castle. The CGI worked well to bring the most endearing personalities through a candelabra, a clock, a teapot, a cup, a feather duster and others. I didn’t expect them to steal the show, but the threat of the last petal falling and these precious “souls” being reduced to inanimate objects actually made me tear up at one point in the movie.

The one character that did not wow me (and perhaps my main critique of the film) was Belle. Maybe I don’t get Emma Watson’s allure because I wasn’t a Harry Potter fan, but I just didn’t quite understand this casting choice. For one, Belle’s very name means beauty, but Emma Watson seems sort of plain to me. And then there was the singing. These songs are intimately familiar to me. I was a big Disney fan even as high school senior when the first movie came out. I had the soundtrack on cassette, and I listened to it over and over in my little Mitsubishi Mirage. And then when I had kids, I got to sing them all over again as they watched the movie on VHS (and then DVD and now on the Apple TV) over and over. So when I heard the familiar tune in the new live action film, I couldn’t help but notice something lacking. Emma Watson is not much of a vocalist. It almost felt like a high school musical production when she sang.

And in spite of early commentary that I had read about the new Belle getting a feminist makeover, I thought Emma Watson’s portrayal sometimes bordered on wimpy. By the way…I’m not sure what those reviewers meant by a feminist makeover. Had they seen the original film? Belle was already quite the feminist. Maybe they were referring to Belle’s new interest in science. In this version, she is the inventor, not her father. I liked the addition of Belle’s tinkering tendencies. I thought it added to the character, even if the actress didn’t quite sell the role as I’d hoped she would.

The Elephant in the Theatre

So now, about the controversy surrounding this movie. It was said that the character of LaFou, Gaston’s sidekick, has an “exclusively gay moment” in the live action remake. Jody and I nearly held our breathe whenever he was on screen, but what we saw was subtle.

So here’s our two cents (okay, maybe it’s three cents). First, we should never be surprised when the world acts like the world and fails to act like the church. It’s no secret that Jody and I are Bible-believing Christians. We know what the word says about homosexuality, and won’t debate it here or even in our own hearts. But the world does not have the same convictions that the church has, and so we have to figure out how we plan to navigate all sorts of situations from TV and movies to the park and the playground.

We certainly don’t want to send the message to our kids that we endorse something that God does not endorse – that includes homosexuality, but it is not limited to it. The Bible says God hates divorce; he hates lying; he says lust is equal to adultery and hatred in any form is akin to murder. And yet all of these things and much more are regularly portrayed in many of the world’s offering.

So every parent has some choices to make, and I believe that each family will choose what is best for their own children. Some will choose to use the innuendo and situations in film and TV as a springboard for conversation (that’s our plan with this particular movie, in case you were wondering). Others will feel a particular conviction to stay away.

We have decided to let the Holy Spirit speak to His people (His sheep know His voice), and let the people follow God’s leading and their own conscience. What we can tell you is that the questionable scenes in this film are pretty subtle, and most younger kids are likely to miss them all together or chalk them up to cartoon-like silliness.

But ultimately, our advice is to pray. Ask God what is right for your family, and do what He says. Remember, His sheep know His voice.

“Who are you that judge another man’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Yea, he shall be held up: for God is able to make him stand.” –Romans 14:4

Jenni Stahlmann is the mom of six kids (ages 4 to 18) with #7 due in August and one on the autism spectrum. She and her husband Matthew homeschool the whole brood. Jenni has been a journalist for more than 20 years, having covered government, business and family issues for a wide range of magazines and newspapers. Currently, she and Jody co-host a weekly syndicated radio show, write a weekly newspaper column and freelance articles and speak at churches, political groups and homeschool conventions about parenting on purpose.

St. Patrick’s Day is the day for green EVERYTHING, leprechauns, gold, shamrocks, rainbows AND wishes from elementary students! Enjoy a random collection of wishes first-graders would ask for if they’re lucky enough to find a four-leaf clover:

Me to first-graders: “So, if you are lucky enough to find a 4 leaf clover and were able to wish for ANYTHING? What would it be?”

Enjoy these quotes from random first grade students:

• “To be invisible and […]

St. Patrick’s Day is the day for green EVERYTHING, leprechauns, gold, shamrocks, rainbows AND wishes from elementary students! Enjoy a random collection of wishes first-graders would ask for if they’re lucky enough to find a four-leaf clover:

Me to first-graders: “So, if you are lucky enough to find a 4 leaf clover and were able to wish for ANYTHING? What would it be?”

Enjoy these quotes from random first grade students:

• “To be invisible and fly so I can steal stuff, like people’s chocolate!”

• “A horse and a rider suit; but I live on Academy Street. Do they let people ride horses there?”

• “14,000 Fitbits and a iPhone 7”

• “A ghost detector, but I don’t know why. I just want one”

• “I’d wish I could be a butterfly cuz they are pretty and don’t have to go to school.”

• “A gold Lamborghini, the biggest RC car, a white Xbox, one trillion dollars so I can get whatever I want including all Nerf guns”

• “I just would wanna catch a leprechaun and I’d keep him as a pet and squeeze him til all the gold comes out”

* “I can’t tell you my wish Ms. Kinney. It wouldn’t come true then.”

• “A PARROT! Yeah. ‘Cuz I’d have someone to talk to and I have lots of salty crackers at my house. Parrots like those.”

• “To have SUPER FAST speed so I can best people at races and also to be a dragon so I can eat all the bad people”

• “I’d wish for my coughing to stop and for $900 to share with my Mom and buy all the ‘My Little Pony toys’!”